The reason why 79% of candidates won’t accept your job offer

Almost eight-in-10 (79%) respondents are unlikely to accept a job offer if they were treated poorly during the recruitment process, according to a new study by the Futurestep division of Korn Ferry. Whether they felt the role was a good fit was a separate issue.

This shows how critical it is for organisations to place a strong emphasis on the candidate experience during the recruiting process.

Whilst just over a tenth (14%) would remain a customer of a company if they had a bad experience as a candidate, more than half (51%) would actually be likely to urge their friends and family members to stop being a customer.

What’s more, 27% of the respondents would consider taking to social media to share their bad experience as a candidate applying for a job.

“This means wasted money, time, and potential loss of revenue too through customer loss,” she added.

Two issues came out on top when asked what would aggravate them most during the recruiting process Whilst 44% said not hearing back from the recruiter or hiring manager would aggravate them most, almost a third (32%) pointed to people being rude during an interview.

This is particularly important when considering that respondents are often looking for guidance and support from recruiters and hiring managers during the recruitment process, with nearly a third (30%) claiming they do not believe recruiters give them the tools and tips they need to land a job.

“There is absolutely no excuse for recruiters and hiring managers to not respond to candidates, even if that communication is electronic. New technology and AI tools are automating many of the traditionally manual recruiting tasks, freeing up time for recruiters to provide stronger candidate care and strategic counsel to their clients,” continued Eastman.

Word-of-mouth communications is also a key factor to potential hires, with almost every respondent (93%) admitting to researching online to gather feedback on working for the company. A key tactic to help win candidates over is through adopting an employer branding strategy, which can be brought to life using a company’s digital platforms.

For 33% of the respondents, the elements that matter most to them on a career website are video or case studies from a range of employees on company culture and what it is like to work there.

“The need to stand out as employer is bigger than ever and the impact of how employers communicate and sell themselves to candidates cannot be underestimated,” said Neil Griffiths, leads employer branding solutions embedded within RPO partnerships at Futurestep.

“Recruiters and hiring managers should take a look at the company culture and make sure the go-to-market strategy is authentic to the brand. A brand that can communicate its purpose and culture – and how each individual fits into those – will ultimately come across as a far more attractive employer,” he said.